October ’25 Industry and Innovation Highlights

With the Industry & Innovation Day (IIB) on the horizon, ASPIRE’s forward-thinking, 70-member strong Industry & Innovation ecosystem continues to advance the future of electrified transportation. We’re excited to welcome Foundation Mechanics, a general contractor and professional services firm to the Industry & Innovation Board — adding to the innovative minds and expert experiences that are a part of our growing network. Through EVR tours, collaboration at conferences, and the upcoming IIB Day, we look forward to new collaborations to pave the way to an advanced future.

New IIB Members

​ASPIRE’s Industry and Innovation Board (IIB) comprises members who contribute their expertise and resources to collaboratively advance the center’s mission of developing sustainable and electrified transportation solutions.

Member Engagement & Conferences

• Foundation Mechanics, our newest IIB member, recently visited the EVR in Logan, UT for a facility tour and discussion.
• Director of Innovation & Ecosystem Development Don Linford represented ASPIRE at the MAASTO 2025 conference on August 25-27 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• ASPIRE Center Director Regan Zane, and Chief Commercial Officer Michael Masquelier joined the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on September 25, where the latest electrification developments and deployments across the nation were showcased at this discussion.

Upcoming Events

Industry & Innovation Day

Mark your calendars for our Industry & Innovation Day coming up on November 3-4!

ASPIRE’s Industry & Innovation Day is the annual capstone event of the center that brings together our expansive network of Industry and Innovation Members, key ecosystem stakeholder partners, students, staff, and researchers to not only celebrate progress but also chart the path forward in sustainable transportation solutions. This year’s event will feature a student competition among our affiliated universities, the “Innovation Challenge”. This new event is being organized and facilitated by Charge Assist, a new ASPIRE Industry Member. The workshops, entitled “The Next Mile Workshops,” will be solution-driven using a business canvas methodology for the discussions throughout the day. During lunch, a keynote speaker will deliver a presentation on updates in the electrified ecosystem. The day will conclude with our renowned ASPIRE Technology Showcase, which features not only ASPIRE projects, student talents, and demonstrations but also showcases some of the Industry and Innovation members’ technologies and projects. This is an excellent dynamic event for fostering collaboration and innovation in electrified transportation, as well as for professional and academic networking.

Details and registration for this event are now open!

Innovation Challenge

ASPIRE is partnering with Charge Assist EV to host the center’s first-ever Innovation Challenge. This event will take place on October 31 – November 3, effectively kicking off ASPIRE’s 2025 Annual Meeting at Utah State University. Students from all disciplines are invited to participate. 

These students, in teams of 4 to 6 members, will participate in this challenge. In these interdisciplinary teams, students will prototype scalable solutions to real-world industry pain points. These prototypes can be software, hardware, or workflow processes. 

Learn more about this event here.

Register for the Innovation Challenge here.

Minnesota Transportation Alliance Annual Meeting

At this comprehensive conference addressing news, updates, and information related to Minnesota transportation, ASPIRE has been given the opportunity to present and dive into the state of current technologies and the barriers surround electrification in transportation. This event will take place on November 3 in Waite Park, Minnesota.

Find out more information about this event.